Afternoon all! Look what I noticed when my Karma Girl was hauled out of the water for the winter last weekend..... I have absolutely no idea how this happened????? I didn't hit anything, I always lash it to the tamer in place and there are no chains, blocks, or hazards near my slip. Only possibility was the last race was a bit windy and the rudder was working pretty hard against the heel. I have no idea where the scabbed off peice went either. Now,... can it be repaired or must it be replaced??? These pics show on side and then the other of it at the same time
Lost half my rudder!
- Thread starter Flyboy69
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I believe that the construction of these rudders is 2 halves, mated, and filled with foam.
So, if there are any cracks in the edges where the halves are joined, water can infiltrate, and freeze/thaw cycles can make it worse. I can imagine one half being forced from the foam interior, and breaking off as yours seems to have done. You may not have felt an outrageous difference in tiller feel if the foam maintains the foil shape.
You could potentially re-skin that side of the rudder provided the foam still retains the foil profile. I don't know that I would want to get too far into that project, though...
Check with Rudy at drmarine.com to see if he has a rudder for your boat, or can recommend a replacement. It won't be inexpensive, but only you can figure the value of your time, while considering your proficiency of a glass/resin layup like that...
Brian
So, if there are any cracks in the edges where the halves are joined, water can infiltrate, and freeze/thaw cycles can make it worse. I can imagine one half being forced from the foam interior, and breaking off as yours seems to have done. You may not have felt an outrageous difference in tiller feel if the foam maintains the foil shape.
You could potentially re-skin that side of the rudder provided the foam still retains the foil profile. I don't know that I would want to get too far into that project, though...
Check with Rudy at drmarine.com to see if he has a rudder for your boat, or can recommend a replacement. It won't be inexpensive, but only you can figure the value of your time, while considering your proficiency of a glass/resin layup like that...
Brian
Ok, thanks for the inputs... I am trying to sell her anyway! Hard to sell a boat with a rudder like that! I have a good glass guy at my club so going to pin him down for a quote and try to find a replacement and make the decisioon then...
BTW Brian you are exactly correct with the construction of the rudder
BTW Brian you are exactly correct with the construction of the rudder
One tip, after fixing the rudder (or when you get your new boat), always remove the rudder while on the mooring or in the slip, as the boat rocks and rolls at rest the rudder is flexing and any little crack or defect can gradually become bigger and this is the result. My Dad had a rudder failure on his old sailboat (the one he had from 1959-69) due to a crack in the fiberglass rudder, possibly from having left the rudder in place all season for several seasons. The rudder broke off just below the waterline while we were sailing and he had to power home steering with the outboard. That boat was smaller (15'9" LOA) that your boat.... but the same basic thing happened, luckily yours may be fixable, Dad had to replace his rudder. Ever since then we have always removed an outboard rudder while moored overnight.
Hi all, I lost my rudder for my 1985 O'Day 26' in the beginning of the season. I got an emergency replacement that was really meant for an O'Day 25'. This new rudder is made out of what I was told is PVC, which has a lot more flex to it than my original rudder which was a wood core surrounded by fiberglass. The problem with this new rudder though is that it has too much flex and what looks like a smaller surface area. I am hoping to modify it by making it stronger and bigger over the winter season, but cannot find any specifications on the rudders made for the O'Day 26' boats. I am looking to see if anyone knows where I can find detailed specifications on the original rudders made for the O'Day 26' boats so that I have something to compare it with. Any help is much appreciated.
I've heard that most of the ODay rudders were made by Foss Foam in Florida. When I replaced mine last year, I got a quote from them. However, I elected to go for a solid HDPE rudder from RudderCraft. Much better product at the same price. Great folks to deal with there; I've very happy with the new rudder!
Mountainchef, it sounds like you have a RudderCraft rudder like jcb2 does.
The RudderCraft rudders are machined from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) similar to milky white plastic cutting boards
People who have RudderCraft rudders seem to like them, but HDPE makes me nervous about flex... Not having seen a RudderCraft rudder in action, I have no evidence to base this opinion upon...
Near as I can tell, Starboard is also made from HDPE.
Brian
The RudderCraft rudders are machined from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) similar to milky white plastic cutting boards
People who have RudderCraft rudders seem to like them, but HDPE makes me nervous about flex... Not having seen a RudderCraft rudder in action, I have no evidence to base this opinion upon...
Near as I can tell, Starboard is also made from HDPE.
Brian
Hey Brian, its actually not a Ruddercraft rudder. Ruddercraft makes their rudders out of a material called HDPE. The replacement rudder I have is from a friend and it is made out of PVC which is basically a type of plastic. The PVC is quite heavy and has a fair amount of flex to it, especially when sailing upwind. What I am hoping to do is keep the PVC rudder as the foundation and try to expand the size and decrease the flexibility by reinforcing it with either some type of metal or fiberglass or both. Any opinions/suggestions on how to do that? The rudder I have is also made for a 25' Oday, my boat is 26'. Is there a size difference between a rudder for a 25' Oday versus a 26' Oday?
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